April 18, 2005

Non-Caucasoid admixture in Turks (corrected)

Note: I had previously stated that the Anatolian Y-chromosome sample was composed of 513 individuals. In fact, it was composed of 523, which alters the percentages somewhat.

An article on the origin of the Nogays from the Caucasus (Phylogeographic Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA in the Nogays: A Strong Mixture of Maternal Lineages from Eastern and Western Eurasia, pdf) a convenient characterization of the mtDNA of a sample of 218 Turks, taken from Richards 2000 (pdf).

In this sample, the following non-Caucasoid haplogroups were detected:

2.78% of L (Negroid)

0.46% of A (Mongoloid)

0.46% of A (Mongoloid)

1.39% of C (Mongoloid)

1.85% of D (Mongoloid)

0.46% of F (Mongoloid)

0.46% of Y (Mongoloid)

Therefore, 2.78% of Negroid admixture and 5.08% of Mongoloid admixture, for a total of 7.86% non-Caucasoid admixture. There is an additional occurrence of 1.5% of lineages of Indian origin, which however should not be labeled as non-Caucasoid.

We can also examine the non-Caucasoid admixture in Turkish patrilineages, using the large sample of 513 Anatolian Turks published by Cinnioglu (pdf), and which I previously analyzed for a different purpose here.

0.38% of A (Negroid)

0.19% of E3a (Negroid)

0.38% of E3* (Negroid)

0.38% of C*(xC3) (Mongoloid)

0.96% of C3 (Mongoloid)

0.19% of O3 (Mongoloid)

2.87% of N*(xN3a) (Mongoloid)

0.96% of N3a (Mongoloid

0.19% of Q2 (Mongoloid)

1.72% of Q*(xQ2) (Mongoloid)

There is thus 0.95% of Negroid admixture and 7.27% of Mongoloid admixture, for a total of 8.22% non-Caucasoid admixture.

Based on these numbers, the non-Caucasoid admixture in Turks can be quantified as 1.87% Negroid, and 6.18% Mongoloid, total 8.05%.

5 comments:

Given that the split between Mongoloids and Caucasoids occured in West Asia, it would be expected that a certain percentage of Relic markers, are shared between Turks and East Asians. At least some, if not most, of these these haplogroups, which have been attributed to 'mongoloids', date to the paleolithic, and have gathered through Turkey and the Iranian plateau, where the earliest Caucasoids emerged.

In recent history, (Upper Paleolthic through the neolithic, and present). There is very little mongoloid ancestry among Turks - perhaps 2%.

Even throughout southern Europe, the supposed "Indian" markers , can be found in (relatively) significant traces, but these markers are (obviously) quite divergent from the types found throughout the Indian sub-continent.

Given that the split between Mongoloids and Caucasoids occured in West Asia, it would be expected that a certain percentage of Relic markers, are shared between Turks and East Asians.

First of all, we don't know where the split between Caucasoids and Mongoloids occurred.

Second, if these were "relics", then we would expect to see them in many populations of West Asia. However, both uniparental marker studies and autosomal DNA analysis shows that Armenians or Arabs do not have elevated Mongoloid components, and it is not parsimonious to think that the legacy of Paleolithic man would end up concentrated in a particular ethnic group formed in the last thousand years.

In what sense is this "negroid" and what proof is there? Is there any proof that this slight A, E3a, E3* has been in Turkey for less time than E3b? A and E3a (E1b1a) are present in north and east Africa along with E3b (E1b1b), while E3b is also present throughout Africa.

Likewise, is there any proof that the slight presence (1.76%) of mtdna L in Turkey is "Negroid" or could it be ancient and more analogous to Near Eastern E3b?

quote:

Haplogroup L is also found in the Middle East at low to moderate frequencies, most notably in Yemen where frequencies as high as 60% have been reported.[17] It is also found at 15.50% in Bedouins from Israel, 13.68% in Palestinians, 12.55% in Jordania, 9.48% in Iraq, 9.15% in Syria, 6.66% in Saudi Arabia, 2.84% in Lebanon, 2.60% in Druzes from Israel, 2.44% in Kurds and 1.76% in Turks.[18][19][20].

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